Capt. Derrickson and 1st Lt. John K. Hardy were the crew of an F4C on an armed reconnaissance mission over North Vietnam. They were the lead aircraft in a flight of two. Over Quang Bin Province they sighted ground targets and radioed to their wingman that they were rolling in. Shortly thereafter, the wingman saw a flash of yellow light followed by a fire and a cloud of black smoke. Attempts to contact the crew were unsuccessful. Both men were declared MIA and the U. S. believed the enemy probably knew their fates.